Nikon Df Pro Reviews

The Nikon Df is a mixed bag. We really wanted to love this camera, but sometimes memories are best left in the past. Given the price, the Df will appeal to the super rich who can afford such gadgets, and a very small group of photographers who are happy to leave the digital age (for the most part) and return to the analog land of mechanical dials, controls, and older glass. That said, we enjoyed our trip down memory lane since it’s hard not to like a full-frame 16.2MP DSLR with such excellent low-light capabilities. If we had $3,000 to spend, we’d definitely opt for the full-frame Nikon D800, which has more megapixels (36), a more advanced 51-point AF system, and takes Full HD videos. For those who want to go full-frame but have a more limited budget, check out the D610. We commend the Df for its superb performance and design. Memories are great, but the Nikon Df costs a lot money for a nostalgia journey, which makes it hard to recommend. We’re more than happy to look at our old F2 on the shelf and shoot with the appropriate tools for the 21st-century.

The Nikon Df full-frame SLR camera lives half in the modern world and half in the analog era, and suffers a bit for it.

Top marks for style and image quality, but ergonomics could be better and autofocus performance really should be

At times we love the Nikon Df and what it can do. But would we buy one? No. It’s an expensive exercise in nostalgia and one that, at times, makes us realise why the world has moved forward. There’s definitely something in the concept, and while we are taken by the Df’s charms this attempt just doesn’t form into the perfect five star photographic tool that it could have been.

The Nikon Df is a product that's as much about invoking nostalgia as it is about capturing the moment. Its control setup, though slower than a modern DSLR layout, will appeal to anyone who wants a camera that feels more like a camera than an electronic device. However, despite an excellent imaging sensor, we think too many compromises were made on such an expensive camera.